Warm Champagne: Chapter One
by Saritas
Summary: Something's going down in Vegas, and not just vampires. Spike and Faith coincidentally meet up when they pay a house call on a new slayer who might not be doing her job quite right.


TITLE: Warm Champagne

AUTHOR: Saritas

TIME: Post Buffy and Angel Series Finales by about five years

RATING: PG-13 - Language/Sexual Innuendo

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, Joss Whedon owns all of these characters. sigh

"Pass the lips, over the gums, look out liver here it comes." The blonde vampire mumbled aloud and pounded the empty shot glass back on the table.

Spike was bored out of his mind. It had been five long years since the night he'd helped Angel and his take down at least part of the law firm of Wolfram and Hart. And since he wasn't one to dwell on the past he motioned for another shot.

A small glass slid down the bar, coming to a stop with a slosh in front of him.

"Didn't think your kind had to worry about liver problems."

Spike didn't look up but reached for the glass. He knew that voice, could have picked it out of a crowd. Happens when you go through an apocalypse with a body.

He smiled a little as the glass touched his lips. Also happens when you go through a massacre with a body but that was a story for a different day.

The story being remembered just now carried a wince along with it because of his part. He turned, his eyes meeting hers as the liquid scorched a path down his larynx.

"Heard you got yourself born again, didn't really believe the talk but here you are in the flesh."

"Yep, thinkin' bout wearing a cross and taking pamphlets around to unsuspecting folk. I am evil after all." The last accompanied with a cocky grin. He looked the woman over. "You don't look too worse for wear yourself."

Faith lifted and propped her feet up on the stool that separated her from Spike. "Well, you outlast prison, you outlast the Terminator as G-O-V of Cali, there's not much that can keep you down."

Spike nodded slowly and then looked to the bartender. "Pour the lady a drink mate."

Faith inclined her head reaching for the glass even as she watched Spike, "Can't say I was ever called a lady but I'll drink to it." After downing the contents she spoke again, "So, what brings you to Vegas?"

This time Spike looked past her, "You'll be seeing it soon, pet."

Frowning Faith turned, senses on alert she put her feet to the floor and started to stand, a hand on her shoulder had her turning to Spike, annoyance in her eyes. "Mind telling me what your hand has against being attached to your body?"

Spike spoke calmly, gently, "Just bide a bit. I'll let you in on the ass kicking with the time comes."

Though Faith was geared to move she leaned back on the bar, "Damn right."

No sooner then the words had left her mouth, she heard a scream burst through the bar, "You gonna tell me what the fuck is going on?"

Spike finally stood and straightened his leather jacket, "Mind we do that after? I've been waiting on these bloody idiots half the night."

His eyes picked up five but he smelled at least eight vampires in all. Why of all places they'd chosen a bar he didn't know but here they were.

Faith stood a small smile coming to her face. "You set this up for me? Because if so, you really know how to treat a so called lady." Without waiting for a response she'd jumped up on the counter of the bar and made her way to the edge where she jumped off and over some of the bar patrons, right into three of the offending vampires.

For a moment Spike just stood there and watched her work, his mind comparing her abilities to Buffy's. They were the same in some aspects, taking the initiative, being inventive, but in Faith he happened to see more of himself.

That cocky self-assurance that she was going to be the victor in the battle simply because she was better. She fought like she had nothing else to live for. Scarier for a human than a vampire, which made him wonder what she had going on under the hood that kept her that way.

A punch brought him out of his trance, "Bloody Hell, what'd you do that for?"

A petite black woman who looked to be about eighteen had her hands on her hips, looking at Spike with utter revulsion. "You said you were going to help, so help or get the fuck out. Vampire."

Clenching his jaw, Spike advanced on the young slayer. "I said I might help, lil'bit. And you hittin' me is really taking the odds out of your favor."

Diane, the young slayer, rolled her eyes. "Whatever." And then she'd turned, working her way towards two more of the vampires.

"Fuckin' teenage girls..." He muttered as he worked his way over to the remaining three vampires.

After dusting the three he'd claimed as his, he pulled two cigarettes from a pack, stuck one in his mouth, holding the other in the air.

From behind him, Faith grabbed it, and lit it from the open flame as one of the bar tables burned towards ashes. Taking a deep drag, she looked at the young girl working to hold her own. "Who's chocolate chip over there?" Faith continued to watch the girls form. It was flawless. She squinted in confusion.

Spike noticed and momentarily removed the cancer stick from his mouth, "Like your looking at pictures in a 'Learning to take out vampires for Dummies' book right?"

As he leaned back against the wall, Faith nodded only half listening to him. "Yeah, I feel like 'Susie vampire slayer' done frowned on my baking skills. Who is she?"

Spike watched as Diane staked the first vampire and started finishing up with the other. "Name's Diane. Met up with her a week ago when I blew into town. She's one of those slayers you and blondie created back when. Takes her job seriously too. I've been pissing her off right good." He smiled at that.

"Didn't really picture you making it with the babysitter's club but to each his own man." Faith grinned, her eyes sliding over him.

A jagged eyebrow went up, "Truth is I would've been out of here a week ago but there's a nest somewhere around here. Figured to help the kid out." Spike touched a hand to his jaw, "Not that it seems she needs it."

His voice grew quiet again, "She had a watcher, but the guy'd been too green to help himself, let alone her."

"Dead." Faith said resolutely, she'd seen it a lot when visiting the new slayers. Giles was doing his best to play teacher to whoever was left willing to be a watcher back with the Council in England but the newbies never got enough training before a new girl was found and needing to be trained.

Spike pushed off the wall, "Actually no. Kid said he'd just up and left one day. She never heard from him again, neither has the council. I figure he realized that vampires weren't as domesticated as he liked to think, ran off to find a rock to hide under. Cowardly bastard."

Faith bristled, "Can you really blame 'em? It's not like they get superpowers or something. Just books and tweed." The watchers she'd dared call her own had all been expertly trained, yet they'd died, turned evil and had even been tortured by her own hand. Not a job she'd really want to do.

Diane finished with her vampire and cut across to Spike and the brunette. "What is this? A smoke break? You ever think to look for more outside?" She asked Spike and then turned hard eyes on Faith, "Who are you?"

Faith attempted to keep her tone friendly, seeing as she didn't know the girl, seeing as the girl didn't know her. Yet. "Easy boss, you were taking care of business. Thought I'd take the time to catch up with an old - " She paused looking at Spike, her head cocked to one side.

"We didn't..." She motioned with a hand passing back and forth between them both.

Spike's eyes grew heavy lidded, "You'd remember if we'd been together luv. I'll promise you that."

The slayer gave him a look that said she wasn't so sure of that, "Yeah... Anyway," She turned back to Diane, "We're old... acquaintances. I'm Faith." She said on a little wave.

"You're Faith?"

The girl said it with a calculating look that didn't really sit too well with the older slayer. What was this kid's deal? "Yeah, didn't catch it the first time?"

Spike watched the interaction and wondered, not for the first time since meeting Diane, what her problem was. Something seemed strange. He looked to Faith who seemed to be having the same reaction.

Diane straightened her shoulders. "Well, when the two of you get done chatting you'll find me patrolling the surrounding buildings." And with that she walked out of the dimly lit bar.

"Who shoved a stake up her ass?" Faith asked companionably once Diane was gone.

Spike shook his head as he dropped a few bills on the counter to pay for his drinks. "Couldn't tell you, she's been like that since I met her. Had it chalked up to losing her watcher but I'm beginning to doubt it now."

Faith let out a breath as she moved for the door. "She could just have her hands busy. That's part of the reason I'm down here. Told B I'd help out a little so she's got me traveling around to wayward slayers. Will's been getting strange letters, none of 'em signed. They all say the same thing - about how they need a 'real' slayer because the one down here just ain't cutting it."

It was Spike's turn to frown now, "Diane? She seems pretty capable to me. You sure Red's got the right location? There's gotta be more than one slayer near Vegas."

Faith nodded, "Yep, postmark's telling us here."

Spike shrugged, "Guess a little Sherlockin's in order."

Faith looked to the sky, "Guess so. But not tonight. Sun's starting to come up."

"Bugger." Spike threw down his cigarette, "Hey, you need a place to stay? I got a crappy hotel room a few blocks down." Leaving it an open invitation, he started moving in it's direction.

Faith easily caught up with him, "Sounds good to me." She stretched her arms over her head, her tank lifting and causing a rift of exposed muscled skin down to the tops of her tight leather pants. "A good lay down would be nice..."

Spike looked at her out the corner of his eye and then chuckled a bit, "You sure are subtle aren't you?"

Faith raised her eyebrows thinking about it, "The way I see it is that you're no longer under B's thumb, and I do believe we have an unfulfilled proposition between us right?"

Spike's lips turned upwards as he repeated her words once again, "Ride me at a gallop 'till my knees buckle, squeeze me 'till I pop like warm champagne..."

Faith then shrugged, "You're here, I'm here... Got all this built up tension in me..."

They'd come upon the shabby motel, Spike moving towards the door to his room. Once it was unlocked Faith pushed in ahead of him.

Spike stood in the doorway for a moment and then finally closed it. "Guess I won't be getting my security deposit back." He offered as an acceptance.

Faith turned, her eyes taking on a predator's look. "Doubt it."

And with that, she charged him.


End file.
